Help with DS rigging, please

I have a piston that I want to move up and down on a 45 degree angle. I've set the starting and ending point and aligned the bone along the axis. However when I translate along the Y axis (up and down) the piston moves strickly Up and dow along the world axis not along the y axis of the bone. AThis is probably something simple that I'm missing but it has me fustrated. If it's impossible I can move to another software or maybe a morph but it seems to me is should work. ANY help or suggestions would be appriciated.

 

Comments

  • How are you translating? Using the sliders in Parameters? This is a figure, not a set of parented props?

  • It's a rigged figure not a prop and yes I'm using the Y translation slide in the parameters section for that bone/group. One more note even after alignong the start and end points the gizmo arrows for the end points remain pointed at x/z and y.

     

     

  • Syrus_DanteSyrus_Dante Posts: 983
    edited February 2017

    I think I get what you mean. The Y translation slider in the parameters section always and only translates straight up in this setup.

    Two solutions come thru my mind for that 45 or what ever degrees transaltion:

    - The first: create a group or a null object and parent the figure you like to move to that so its a child node of the group/null. Now rotate the group/null to your liking. Then select the parented figure and use the translate slider on the y axis. The figure should go along the y axis orientation of the group/null (you will also see there is still everything on zero on translation/rotation/scale on the figure).

    - The second: First rotate the figure. Then - when you say "gizmo" you propably mean the gizmo of the universal manipulator this is also translating in the world axis for now. But you can switch that behaviour of the universal manipulator to "local axis" or no its called "Use Local Coordinates". Therfore go to "Tool Settings" pane and, if not allready set choose "Universal" from the "Active Tool" dropdown. Right under that you can find the "Use Local Coordinates" in the dropdown menu.

    To make that clear see the image. I hope that will help.

    ToolSettings_Universal_LocalCoordinates.jpg
    544 x 638 - 86K
    Post edited by Syrus_Dante on
  • Not sure if this thread is still active or not?  I am also trying to do something similar. In my case, its a sliding window at an approximately 60 degree angle. The window is part of a larger figure object and the window pane has been rigged with a bone, also the frame with a bone. I created a Null object and parented it to the frame in the figure, and now I would like to parent the window pane to the Null but, because its a figure, it will not let me do that?   I guess its okay to parent a Null to a bone, but you can't parent a bone to a Nullv it seems? Makes sense I guess?  But what can be done I wonder? The only thing I can think of is to bring in another window pane to DAZ, as a separate prop and parent it to the Null. Then hide the window pane in the figure. Any ideas or suggestions please?

  • Items may have only a single parent, and a bone is - be definition - parented to another bone or to the figure itself. What is it that you are trying to achieve?

  • Items may have only a single parent, and a bone is - be definition - parented to another bone or to the figure itself. What is it that you are trying to achieve?

    I need to make a piece of my Figure, which in this case is a window, slide open at an angle upwards... not perpendicular to the ground, but at a steep angle upwards.  The window needs to slide along the angled plane...kind of like a rocket it you launched at an angle... in respect to the ground.  i have tried multiple ways to accomplish it, but the window will only ever travel in a perpendicular way, like 90, 180, 270, 360 degree angles of motion.  I need to if you like, push it a little on its side.  It seems simple enough but I can't make it do what I need?  It seems like I should be able to use the rotation tool or the dial controls to tilt the joint to the desired angle but that just won't work.  I can do what I need with a parented prop objects but not as a figure.  I realize that each bone is a child of another bone and a bone can have many children but only one parent so, I was hoping that by parenting a Null to say the bone frame of the window, I could then reparent the window pane bone to the null, and then rotate the null to the desired angle which would allow me to slide the window pane at the angle I need?  But, of course the bone's parent is frozen to it, and will not allow this.  Maybe there's a way to use ERC to do what I need?

  • So using the Joint Editor to alter the alignment doesn't help? Are you usign sliders or Viewport Gizmo - if the latter, what is the coordinate system setting in the Tool Settings pane - if it's set to Universe, for example, then it will ignore the actual bone alignment. If it is stubborn one option would be to create a new control property, set it to 1, then use the existing translation tools to place the window correctly and ERC Freeze to link the new controller to the translations - hide the real translations and move the controller into the Transform group.

  • White RabbitWhite Rabbit Posts: 231
    edited November 2020

    I have tried both the Sliders and Viewport Gizmo. The tool setting is Local Coordinate System. I will give the ERC a go.  Ive been learning how to use this more lately... it's very cool!

    Yeah, that worked!  Thanks Richard!  yes

    Post edited by White Rabbit on
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